In a notification issued on Tuesday (January 5), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced the decision, stating that the suspension will remain in force until further notice.
According to the ministry, the matter came to the government’s attention after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) excluded Mustafizur Rahman from KKR ahead of the IPL scheduled to begin on March 26, 2026.
The notification said that no reasonable justification was known for the BCCI’s decision, adding that such an action had hurt, distressed, and angered the people of Bangladesh.
“In this situation, all broadcasts and telecasts of IPL matches and programmes are requested to be suspended until further instructions,” the statement read.
The ministry noted that the order was issued in the public interest and with the approval of the appropriate authorities.
Tensions had been running high for several days over Mustafizur’s participation in the upcoming IPL. Under pressure, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia reportedly instructed on Saturday (January 3) that Mustafizur be removed from the squad. Shortly afterward, KKR officially dropped the Bangladeshi pacer.
Bangladesh cricket fans reacted with outrage, condemning what they described as an unjustified and unsporting decision against the national star.
Earlier, Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul had also strongly criticised the move and called for a boycott of IPL broadcasts. Following that call, the government has now taken the stringent step of officially suspending IPL broadcasts in the country.
